Lead a building, district, charter school or charter school management company

Contribute to county, state and Federal Departments of Education

Impact future policies at all levels

Special Education

Be a leader in honing skills of current special education teachers

Contribute to policy decisions and implementation

Educators Shape the Future

Whether you dream of being the best classroom teacher or leading a department, school, district or educational program, University of Detroit Mercy's education programs offer you the keys to open doors of possibility. Think about the impact you could have on the future with a teaching certificate or the credentials to begin a career in educational leadership. At University of Detroit Mercy, we will develop an individualized program suited specifically to your needs. From the time you begin, you’ll enroll in interactive classes that blend learning from a variety of sources — classroom, online and field experience — and prepare you to achieve your career goals.

Among our greatest points of pride:

Our faculty members have doctorate degrees and extensive first-hand experience in their areas of expertise: as classroom and special education teachers; in school, district and university leadership roles.

Small class sizes mean you’ll never be just another face in the crowd; your professors will know and mentor you as an individual. In fact, many students form mentor relationships with faculty that last long past graduation.

We were the first teacher preparation program in the state to work with Michigan Virtual University to provide students with teaching experience in an on-line classroom learning environment, and the first to guide students to develop and publish our Educator Code of Ethics.

Students engage in action research projects that provide avenues for leading school improvement initiatives during their graduate course of study.

Collaborative relationships with universities around the United States and abroad offer students the opportunity for international experience.

All classes provide students with field experience opportunities, and teacher certification students complete a minimum of 80-100 hours of field service, depending on their certification specialty before student teaching.

Look What aMaster of Arts with These Majors Can Prepare You for:

Curriculum & Instruction

Contribute to decision-making regarding curriculum content

Collaborate with teachers, community members and policy makers

Determine standards for children and youth

Educational Administration

Lead a building, district, charter school or charter school management company

Contribute to county, state and Federal Departments of Education

Impact future policies at all levels

Special Education

Be a leader in honing skills of current special education teachers

Contribute to policy decisions and implementation

Undergraduate Programs

Major - Elementary Education

Degree: Bachelor of ArtsMajor: Elementary Education

Students preparing to teach in the elementary school may pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in elementary education from University of Detroit Mercy. In addition to the University core curriculum requirements and the professional education sequence of courses, students also pursue a teaching major and a teaching minor.

The following teaching majors and minors are approved by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for Elementary Certification:

Integrated Science

Language Arts

Mathematics

Social Studies

Emotionally Impaired/ Behaviorally Disordered (major only)

Learning Disabilities (major only)

Teaching Majors & Minors

A teaching major consists of not less than 30 credit hours in a single discipline or 36 credit hours in a group of disciplines. Some content area majors may require additional credit hours to complete. Individual departments should be consulted regarding the required number of credit hours to complete a major. A teaching minor consists of not less than 20 credit hours in a single discipline and 24 credit hours in a group of disciplines. Teaching majors and teaching minors must be appropriate to the elementary school. Students should consult their advisor regarding courses for the teaching major and the teaching minor as well as other program requirements. The department reserves the right to require specific courses in the major and minor.

A candidate for this program must successfully complete between 126 to 153 credit hours acceptable to the degree program in which he/she is enrolled to be certified for graduation. These credits include requirements of the University core curriculum, the requirements for the program and requirements of teaching majors.

Major - Social Studies Education (Secondary Ed)

Degree: Bachelor of ArtsMajor: Social Studies Education

Teacher education programs of the College of Liberal Arts & Education prepare effective and responsible professional teachers who have a commitment to the implementation of the Education Department's Code of Professional Ethics. This professional teacher will have an impact on school reform, the community and society. Education faculty help students become ethical, caring, value-directed persons who possess a commitment to urban society and social justice. Students also gain competency in the art and science of teaching from a research knowledge base and continue to be inquiring, reflective educators. The cosmopolitan nature of our metropolitan area (multi-cultural and multi-talented) provides a perfect laboratory for the education of the professional teacher.

University of Detroit Mercy offers this Bachelor of Arts with a major in social studies education with the purposes of teacher certification with endorsement in Social Studies (RX) for students who wish to teach in secondary schools. The social studies group major is a flexible one that is organized around InTASC and the Professional Standards of Michigan Teachers.

A candidate for this program must successfully complete between 126 to 153 credit hours acceptable to the degree program in which he/she is enrolled to be certified for graduation. These credits include requirements of the University core curriculum, the requirements for the program and requirements of teaching majors and minors.

Major - Special Education - Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities is a field of Special Education which deals with children who have average or above average intelligence but who are not able to learn in conventional ways.

Students majoring in special education will be recommended for an elementary provisional certification or a secondary provisional certificate. The special education major qualifies students to teach the special education category from kindergarten to grade 12. Additionally, the state elementary provisional certificate is valid for teaching all subjects in grades K-5, and for teaching K-8 self-contained.

The state secondary provisional certificate is valid for teaching in subject areas in grades 7 to and including grade 12 in which the applicant has completed a major or minor.

A candidate for this program must successfully complete between 126 to 153 credit hours acceptable to the degree program in which he/she is enrolled to be certified for graduation. These credits include requirements of the University Core Curriculum, the requirements for the program and requirements of teaching majors and minors.

The Emotionally Impaired/Behaviorally Disordered is a field of Special Education which deals with children who are unable to learn or to function due to emotional and or behavioral problems.

Students majoring in special education will be recommended for an elementary provisional certification or a secondary provisional certificate. The special education major qualifies students to teach the special education category from kindergarten to grade 12. Additionally, the state elementary provisional certificate is valid for teaching all subjects in grades K-5, and for teaching K-8 self-contained.

The state secondary provisional certificate is valid for teaching in subject areas in grades 7 to and including grade 12 in which the applicant has completed a major or minor.

A candidate for this program must successfully complete between 126 to 153 credit hours acceptable to the degree program in which he/she is enrolled to be certified for graduation. These credits include requirements of the University Core Curriculum, the requirements for the program and requirements of teaching majors and minors.

Minor - Education

The 18-credit-hour minor in education is designed for those students who are interested in applying content knowledge in diverse settings and working with diverse populations but are not planning to pursue teacher certification as this minor will not prepare the student to become a certified teacher in Michigan. The course work is based on the Education Department's Conceptual Framework, which addresses the ethical behaviors for demonstrating how a teacher as scholar, inquirer and moral agent interacts with their constituents in the role of educator.

Graduate Programs

Curriculum & Instruction

﻿Degree: Master of ArtsMajor: Curriculum & InstructionCredits: 30

Designed for the experienced educator, the course of study for the Master of Arts with a major in curriculum and instruction for experienced educators provides the conceptual, technical and decision-making skills needed to be a master educator and leader in school renewal. Please note that if you are seeking initial teacher certification, please check out our other curriculum and instruction program with a concentration in teacher certification.

As you pursue this degree program, you can use coursework to address school, program, classroom issues and challenges as a classroom teacher and school leader. Course projects provide practical opportunities to apply classic and emerging educational theories and strategies for achieving expected learner outcomes. Courses can be used to prepare for application to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) for national teaching certification. See your program advisor for current requirements.

Special interests can be pursued within the program. These may include but are not limited to the following:

Adult Learner

Collaboration for Inclusionary Education

Department and School Leadership

Multicultural and Diversity Curriculum

Staff Professional Development

Standards-Based Curriculum

Success for All Students

Teacher Mentor

Technology Integration

Curriculum & Instruction with Teacher Certification Concentration

This program is designed to meet the needs of individuals who change careers and enter the teaching profession, address the teaching standards required to qualify for certification and emphasize the application of previous education and experience.

You develop a comprehensive knowledge and competency base for making effective teaching decisions by engaging in active learning situations, which integrate theory and research findings with practical action toward student achievement of clear educational goals.

Core courses of this master’s degree provide you with a framework to leverage classroom and school-wide strategies that enable you to collaborate with professional colleagues, parents and community resources as a teacher leader.

You will work closely with your program advisor to select a program focus and to plan a course of study that includes prior knowledge, experience, and special interests.

Educational Administration

﻿Degree: Master of ArtsMajor: Educational AdministrationCredits: 36

The Master of Arts with a major in educational administration is designed for those individuals who are interested in pursuing a professional career in educational administration as a principal and through leadership positions in districts and schools.

The program is approved by the Michigan Department of Education.

Special Education - Learning Disabilities

This program is designed to meet the needs of teachers who wish to prepare for working with individuals experiencing specific and general learning problems at the elementary, middle and secondary levels. Additionally, it prepares teachers to meet the needs of exceptional students in the inclusive setting. It also presents a means for supervisors and administrators to develop leadership skills in the areas of special education-emotionally impaired/behaviorally disordered.

For those seeking their initial teacher certification, there is also a program that combines the requirements for the master's and endorsements with the requirements for the teacher certification. Refer to the catalog for full curriculum details.

Special Education - Emotionally Impaired / Behaviorally Disordered

This program is designed to meet the needs of teachers who wish to prepare themselves for working with individuals experiencing specific and general learning problems at the elementary, middle and secondary levels. Additionally, it prepares teachers to meet the needs of exceptional students in the inclusive setting. It also presents a means for supervisors and administrators to develop leadership skills in the areas of special education-emotionally impaired/behaviorally disordered.

For those seeking their initial teacher certification, there is also a program that combines the requirements for the master's and endorsements with the requirements for the teacher certification. Refer to the catalog for full curriculum details.

Non Degree Preparation Programs

Post Degree Elementary Teacher Program

For individuals who already possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and who wish to become certified by the Michigan Department of Education to teach elementary education, Detroit Mercy offers a non-degree program that may be pursued on a part-time, late afternoon or evening basis with the exception of the student teaching requirement, which is a 15-week semester of full-day attendance. This program will prepare you to take the certification exam provided by the Michigan Department of Education.

Students in the post-degree program must satisfy all teacher certification program requirements. Students are required to have fulfilled the University core curriculum requirements for the College of Liberal Arts & Education depending upon the degree major.

Post Degree Secondary Teacher Program

Students preparing to teach in secondary schools may complete the courses to prepare for a for a teaching certificate provided through the Michigan Department of Education in connection with their degree programs in the College of Liberal Arts & Education or the College of Engineering & Science.

The requirements for this non-degree program include completion of a teaching major and teaching minor in an academic subject area appropriate to the secondary school and the professional education sequence. In most instances, the degree major constitutes the teaching major.

Students in the secondary teacher education program are assigned an education advisor in Detroit Mercy's Education Department upon admission to this program. The advisor will help students plan the completion of the teaching major, the teaching minor and the education sequence of courses.

Teaching Majors and MinorsA teaching major consists of not less than 30 semester hours in a single discipline or 36 semester hours in a group of disciplines. Some content area majors may require additional credit hours to complete. Individual departments should be consulted regarding the required number of credit hours to complete a major. A teaching minor consists of not less than 20 credit hours in a single discipline or not less than 24 credit hours in a group of disciplines. The department reserves the right to require specific courses in the major and minor.

The following teaching majors and minors are approved by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for Secondary Certification:

Teaching Endorsements

Special Education

Elementary Endorsements

Post-degree students may prepare for an elementary teaching certificate in the College of Liberal Arts & Education. For either program, students are required to have fulfilled the core curriculum requirements for the College of Liberal Arts & Education or Engineering & Science for some secondary education students, depending upon the degree major.

Majors:

Minors (select two from the options below):

Secondary Endorsements

Post-degree students may prepare for a secondary teaching certificate in the College of Liberal Arts & Education. For either program, students are required to have fulfilled the core curriculum requirements for the College of Liberal Arts & Education or Engineering & Science for some secondary education students, depending upon the degree major.

Resources

Accreditation

Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) Accreditation

The Education Department is granted TEAC Initial Accreditation for a period of five years, from October 2012 to October 2017. This accreditation certifies that the University of Detroit Mercy’s professional education program has provided evidence it adheres to TEAC’s Quality Principles.

In keeping with TEAC’s policy on Program Performance Disclosure (Policy XI), the Education Department is posting a link on our program’s website to the Summary of the Case that is also posted on the TEAC website and to the Title II Reporting website.

Conceptual Framework & Code of Ethics

Education faculty and staff implement the Detroit Mercy Vision and Mission to provide student-centered education programs that empower graduates to lead and serve in their community. Education Programs actualize a signature Conceptual Framework imbued by the Detroit Mercy Educator’s Code of Ethics. This framework is considered to be a "work in progress" that is continuously re-examined and refined by the faculty and students of the Education Department. [i] The Education Department's Conceptual Framework contains three interdependent components:

Organizing Theme and Philosophy, which describes the three dimensions of a professional educator as scholar, inquirer and moral agent;

Theoretical Grounding, which explicates the underlying values and ideas supporting the three-dimensional view of the educator; and

Code of Ethics, which describes how these values and ideas can be translated into action by professional educators in the course of their practice.

Organizing Theme and Philosophy

Purpose and Rationale. The purpose of this Conceptual Framework of the Education Department is to clearly state to fellow educators, to potential education students, and to the community at large, the values and beliefs of the University of Detroit Mercy education programs. These essential values are focused in the Education Department's mission.

This mission of the Education Department is the development of educators who:

Are ethical, value-directed persons;

Possess a scholarly mastery of subject matter;

Recognize that all children can learn; and

Engage students in an interactive, dynamic process of learning.

While the mission drives the Conceptual Framework, the Conceptual Framework—as a living document—furthers the mission of the Education Department by providing a foundation of concepts and guiding principles for the construction of all education programs and courses.

The Conceptual Framework acts as a beacon, drawing to it those who share the Department's conviction that education in a metropolitan community can be a powerful force for renewal and growth. It is a starting point for dialog with community partners and University colleagues about many issues related to education, schooling, and professional teaching. It summarizes the ideas used by Education Department faculty for their professional activities. Prospective students can also examine the Conceptual Framework as a set of beliefs against which they can compare their values to determine whether there is a fit with their own.

Organizing Theme and Philosophy. The precepts emphasized in the mission are manifested in a conceptualization of the role of the professional educator as having three dimensions:

A scholar who uses the research-knowledge base for teaching, integrated with the liberal arts and sciences disciplines;

An inquirer who is skilled in decision-making and in ethical, critical, and reflective thinking; and

A moral agent whose values reflect those of the Education Department's Professional Code of Ethics.

The Department's mission is implemented by faculty and students who, through collaborative efforts, address the three dimensions of the role of educators.

To prepare educators with the competencies to teach and administer schools, University of Detroit Mercy education programs implement the Department's mission through the collaborative efforts of faculty and students. These efforts address the development of specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are necessary for successful teaching and learning in schools. Department programs are based in the belief that those who are preparing to teach and administer schools need to demonstrate competency in the three dimensions of the role of the teacher. These dimensions, therefore, are linked to specific goals. The goals encompassed in the dimensions of the educator's role—scholar, inquirer, moral agent—are stated in such a way as to serve as outcomes for the University of Detroit Mercy education programs. As such, the goals also stand as guidelines for the assessment of program effectiveness.

To achieve these ends, the curriculum in each program is designed to develop:

A scholar who:

Competently practices the art of teaching using knowledge gained from a diverse research base;

Promotes students' growth in critical and analytical thinking as well as problem-solving;

Uses instructional strategies along with appropriate educational technology to create a classroom atmosphere of inquiry and collaboration;

Critically examines his/her own practice to assess competence; and

Continuously develops his/her repertoire of professional knowledge and skills.

A moral agent who:

Commits his/her efforts to promoting social justice in urban society;

Develops his/her own ethical reasoning;

Follows the ethical standards of professional teaching'

Incorporates value, moral, and character education into instruction;

Creates a supportive network advocating for students with all stakeholders in the educational enterprise; and

Engages imagination and dialog to work for a better world.

These three dimensions, along with their associated goals, guide the selection of ideas from practice, research, and policy, which faculty include in the curriculum design of all programs and the teaching and learning experiences within these programs. The Conceptual Framework compels faculty to link the three dimensions so that content knowledge, pedagogical theory, and ethical conduct are integrated within the learning experiences that they provide for students.

Opportunities for reflection and dialogue provide the faculty and students the time and space to contribute to their own and others' professional development, the ongoing renewal of the Department's programs, and the renewal of the Conceptual Framework itself. The Conceptual Framework thus fulfills its purpose of guiding faculty and students through a lived experience of the organized theme: teacher as scholar, inquirer, and moral agent.

Theoretical Grounding

The philosophical organizing theme of the Education Department's Conceptual Framework is grounded in the wisdom of educators—historical and contemporary practitioners and theoreticians. Within the dimensions of the teacher as scholar, inquirer and moral agent, students learn to listen to their own developing wisdom and to actively seek the wisdom of professional educator colleagues. Students also develop skills to integrate established and contemporary theory and research so that they understand the broad body of knowledge that constitutes effective pedagogy. In addition to leaning from colleagues, students are challenged and guided to listen and to collaborate with their students, parent, community and other professionals to develop their understanding of the complex dynamics inherent in the context surrounding effective teaching and learning.

Four major theoretical constructs are used in the Conceptual Framework to support students as they develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be a scholar, inquirer and moral agent in their own educational practice. These constructs are constructivism, reflective practice, systems thinking and social justice. Education department programs are designed to embed these theoretical constructs across the three dimensions of the role of teacher. Deliberate efforts are made in the design of courses to provide learning experiences that help frame the student's developing view of the teacher as scholar, inquirer and moral agent who is guided by the Educator's Code of Ethics in her/her professional practice. In this way, the courses within a program are complementary and in agreement with the Conceptual Framework. The Conceptual Framework is the glue that unifies all programs, and within a program, unifies the program components.

The Conceptual Framework with its organizing theme of teacher as scholar, continuous inquirer, and moral agent allows an examination of the multiple decisions a teacher must make to plan, prepare, implement, and assess teaching and learning. These decisions require an intense interaction among subject matter inquiry, students' personal purposes, and students' prior knowledge and dispositions.

The multiple decisions teachers are required to make are best understood by linking three constructs of constructivist teaching. These constructs are pragmatic intelligence (Dewey 1910/1933), action-research (Lewin, 1948) and experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). All three of these conceptual constructs are used in continuous decision-making cycle analogous to surfing (Sergio and Starratt, 1993). This cycle, like surfing, requires reflection, critical reasoning and critical engagement to occur so rapidly that they appear as simultaneous operations. Riding the curl of the wave of subject matter inquiry requires knowledge of discipline content, students, and dynamics of the learning environment. It also requires the decision-making skills to make the moves which use the energy and momentum of teaching to capture the curriculum outcomes for learning.

In teacher education classes at University of Detroit Mercy, students get the opportunity to tease out one or the other of these decisions, but never so far as to remove it from the context needed to develop an understanding of the dynamics needed to use its potential to influence student learning. Access to a broad pedagogical knowledge and skill base provides theoretical and practical research findings for choosing effective teaching strategies. In choosing effective strategies, teacher education students are guided in a dialectical inquiry process to use differing perspectives to examine the learning context. This inquiry process uses the professional norms of the Code of Ethics to put the student at the center of decision making.

In order to keep students at the center of the decision-making cycle, teacher education students can draw from a wide range of educational theory and research perspectives. Teachers who use constructivist practices scaffold instruction with metacognitive guidance for learning (Palincsar, 1986). They engage students as active participants and conscious agents in problem solving, inquiry, and authentic forms of assessment (Brooks and Brooks, 1993). Knowledge, skills, and attitudes are learned by using cultural referents to empower students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically (Ladson-Billings, 1994; Vygotsky, 1962).

One application of these practices can be found in teacher's decision making regarding the current cultural shift generated by rapidly developing electronic technology. Within constructivist teaching and learning environments, the use of technology is one of constructing learning possibilities which empower students (Perkins, 1992). Questions of how, when, and where to use these learning tools involve designing learning experiences, which engage students' critical thinking and problem solving skills to make choices which alter outcomes, build models, and test solutions within a systems approach to learning (Senge, 1994). Students and teachers work together to construct the knowledge required to engage in meaningful learning.

Use of constructivist practices is not limited to classroom applications. Programs in the Education Department are designed to guide students in the identification of issues and challenges to effective teaching and learning within the context of the need for ongoing educational and school renewal. Because school reform occupies the attention of not only educators, but citizens as well, University of Detroit Mercy students must be ready to help community members sort out workable solutions to this persisting dilemma. (See especially Berliner and Riddle, 1995; and Postman, 1995.) To prepare University of Detroit Mercy education students to take leadership roles in the active search for more effective schools, the issue of what constitutes effective is confronted directly in coursework.

A framework for viewing educational change—first order change, or "repair" contrasted with the second order change, or structural change (Cuban, 1988; Tyack & Cuban, 1995)—is developed so that students can view a particular instance of school reform in terms of its relationship to the existing system. Systemic change is offered as a challenging but effective approach to lasting and meaningful school reform (Sarason, 1990, 1982; Glickman, 1988)

The Conceptual Framework of the Education Department also addresses the belief that scholars, inquirers and moral agents need to reflect on their actions afterward as well as "in the moment" (SchÖn 1991, 1990, 1987, 1983). Our classrooms create lab situations. In essence, we can stop and focus on specific skills, reflect on real and imagined outcomes, and think about designs for using the results of our having this "luxury" of space and time. In this way, teachers learn to construct their own local theories of teaching and learning, expanding and refining these theories as they come to learn from each of the many instances in which they consciously practice. (For a discussion of teacher theorizing see: Connelly and Clandinin, 1988; Ross, Cornett, and McCutcheon, 1992; Stone 1992.) By sharing these local theories with one another at school, at conferences, and in other professional settings, teachers can expand their personal knowledge base for teaching and learning, as well as expand the communal knowledge base (Grimmett and Erickson, 1988; Hollingsworth and Sockett, 1994).

By exploring differing perspectives, participating in dialogue, and engaging in action research, education faculty and students continue to breathe life into the Conceptual Framework and fulfill the mission of the Education Department.

Code of Ethics

Teacher education students at University of Detroit Mercy develop the construct of social justice by infusing a normative point of view into the conceptual framework through a student-faculty developed Professional Code of Ethics. This code addresses ethical behaviors for professional competency with the three audiences of school-based practices—students, parents, and school systems. Constructivist teaching theory once again provides a base for understanding our normative code through what Henderson (1996) calls a "4C" approach: teaching is a calling (Bogue, 1991); is caring (Noddings, 1984); creative (Eisner, 1994); and centered or authentic (Greene, 1988).

The Code of Ethics makes visible the theoretical constructs of the Conceptual Framework in a manner which demonstrates how teacher as scholar, inquirer and moral agent can use knowledge, skills and attitudes to be an educator who collaborates with parents and the community to benefit students; to contribute positively to the renewal of the profession, the school system and ultimately to building a better society.

Code of Professional Ethics

As Educators we realize the trust placed in us by the community—the preparing of its children for their future place in society. We are awed by the magnitude of this responsibility and wholeheartedly accept its challenges because we believe that all children can learn.

This Code of Ethics is our pledge to the community that we will vigilantly pursue the highest standards of performance from our professional ranks; that we will carefully nurture the students entrusted to our care; and that we will make an effort to interact with all members of society, who like educators, are concerned with the rights and well-being of our young people.

The goal of an Educator is to inspire students toward excellence while promoting learning as a lifelong process. The Educator has the responsibility of teaching this nation's greatest natural resource. Therefore, it is imperative that the Educator teaches and believes in the dignity and integrity of all students. The Educator needs to be of good moral character and model the appropriate social skills and values. The Educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Regarding Professional Competency, the Educator Shall

Possess a mastery of academic content areas and a mastery of instructional skills to practice the art of teaching.

Strive to achieve and maintain the highest degree of professional competency and will always uphold the honor, dignity and ethical standards of their profession.

Exert every effort to raise professional standards, to promote a climate that encourages the true exercise of reflective teaching, professional judgment and to foster collaborative relationships among colleagues, parents and community.

Recognize the need for continuing professional and educational development, and pursue opportunities to acquire new skills, develop new techniques, and become informed of new research methods, and educational technology.

Make every effort not to allow personal problems or conflicts to interfere with professional effectiveness.

Maintain professional relationship with students, parents, school personnel, and the community.

Respect each person with whom he/she is working, and deal justly and impartially with each regardless of his/her physical, mental, emotional, political, economic, social, cultural, racial characteristics or sexual and religious preferences.

Be committed to the holistic, integrative develop, integrative development of youth including caring for special needs children, teaching critical, creative and ethical thinking with a dedication to social justice.

Regarding Students, the Educator Shall

Base relationships on integrity and mutual trust; the Educator shall recognize and reflect a concern for student dignity.

Not tolerate policies, procedures, or attitudes that impede student success.

Strive to help each student realize his/her potential as a worthy and effective member of a democratic society by developing a personal code of democratic values.

Work to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals and moral character.

Prepare students for full participation in a global, multicultural society by facilitating independent action and differing viewpoints.

Respect students' right to privacy and confidentiality.

Acknowledge his/her position as a role model for students.

Regarding Parents, the Educator Shall:

Recognize the importance of parental support and seek to obtain this by establishing contact with parents.

Communicate with parents about their child regarding progress and problems in a truthful and timely manner.

Communicate to the parents recommendations meeting the educational needs of their children.

Respect the parent's right to privacy and confidentiality except in cases of abuse.

Attempt to become aware of the student's home situation through encouraging and facilitating frequent and open communication between the home and school.

Regarding the School System, the Educator shall

Become knowledgeable of the organization, philosophy, goals, objectives, and methodology of the school system for which he/she works.

Recognize that an understanding of the goals, process, and legal requirements of the educational system is essential for an effective delivery of educational services.

Be familiar with the curriculum, instructional materials, and teaching strategies of the school for which he/she works.

Recognize the need to familiarize him or herself with the attitudes and expectations of the community.

[i] The creation of a Conceptual Framework for the Education Department was initiated in 1990 as a joint effort between faculty and students, led by Professor Joan Wilder. In 1994, a document was produced, and that document continues to be modified by current faculty and students. The Conceptual Framework was expanded by faculty in 1996 to incorporate specific statements of goals to provide further guidelines for faculty and students. These goal statements reflected the faculty's commitment to Michigan's Entry Level Standards for Beginning Teachers (1993), and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Council (INTASC, 1992) standards. In 1997, additional work by faculty expanded the theoretical component of the Conceptual Framework.

The original document was composed by individuals from many different ethnic groups, age groups, and geographic locations, and thus reflected the heterogeneity of the metropolitan Detroit area. As they conceptualized the document, it was to be a product of a diverse group that spoke equally to the common ground shared by members of the University community and to the uniqueness and individuality of each community member. The Conceptual Framework continues to reflect such diversity.